Bono Siebelink
Graduate of the "Humanities, the Arts, and Social Thought" BA program (2019)
When I came to Berlin four years ago I was immediately set on learning German to become part of the city through speaking the language. Not knowing a lot of German, I started off taking German classes at BCB, from which point I could notice my progress going really fast.
My first German classes were focused on creating a solid foundation in grammar, writing and speaking, which was very necessary for my later advancements. At the same time, these classes went beyond the merely linguistic aspect and involved learning about contemporary German culture, including music, books, films and even current political discussions. Furthermore, classes engaged with the city of Berlin through museum visits or other excursions, immersing the students in their living environment.
Once I started taking an advanced German language course, the focus was not only on learning, but also applying our German skills. Through frequent essay writing and tests, we were asked to keep our progress up and also create our own opinions and “personalities” in German. More room was given for presentations about specific topics related to German(y), and a lot of the time was reserved for class discussions and speaking in general. This was the time I started to actually feel fluent in German.
After taking language classes, I had the appropriate level to take German literature courses at BCB. These courses were centered around a certain theme, such as the Weimar republic, the relation between human and animal, and the German public sphere. Through reading novels, academic texts and poetry, watching films, news videos and TV debates, these classes were focused on deepening our understanding of very specific topics that are best understood in the original German language. Students could learn from each other in these classes; the different proficiency levels of the students required careful attention to what everyone had to say, also because these classes were meant for students speaking German not as their native language. These classes prepared me better to have difficult discussions and to speak German in a more academic context.
After taking German for around 3 years at BCB, I am currently working as the school's German tutor, helping students learn German with grammar, speaking and writing. All the grammar and general language skills I learned during my time at BCB, I now teach to the students who are studying the same as I once did. I think the strength of BCB's German language department is finding effective teaching strategies to make students understand rather complex grammar, through for example visual representations or other creative approaches. These strategies showed me at least that there is a logic to the German language!